Wal-Mart has announced that they are in the process of reviewing Expertox’s lab results of elevated levels of lead, chromium and cadmium being found in two China-made pet toys sold at Wal-Mart.

The company was sent a copy of Expertox’s lab results on Friday. On Monday, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman asked ConsumerAffairs.com for the UPC codes of the two products in question and more information about the chew toys.

Melissa O’Brien, part of Wal-Mart’s corporate communications division, wrote: â€œAs soon as this detail is received we will involve our Compliance Safety group who can initiate testing among a sample with the independent labs we use that are government approved for product testing. We will follow up with our Compliance Safety group on this today and let you know our actions.â€

ConsumerAffairs.com contacted the FDA regarding the lab’s results, but the FDA does not regulate toys for pets. The FDA spokeswoman said she was unaware of any governmental agency with regulatory power over pet toys.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) was also contacted regarding the results, but the organization has not responded to any questions. A spokeswoman for the American Pet Product Manufacturers Association said the CPSC will regulate pet toys if they assume those toys would come in contact with children.

A PetSmart spokesman said that their company routinely tests its pet toys for toxins.

Bruce Richardson, the company’s director of external communications, said: â€œWe do a lot of random testing of toys and other products. And to my knowledge we have never found any issues relative to this — particularly with lead — with the levels being above the ones established by the government. They fall well below those levels.â€

Richardson also stated: â€œWe expect that the people who are providing us with supplies — our vendors and manufacturers — are meeting U.S. governmental regulations. But in addition to that, we randomly pick toys for dogs and cats and test them for lead and other toxins.â€

“ConsumerAffairs.com contacted the FDA regarding the labâ€™s results, but the FDA does not regulate toys for pets. The FDA spokeswoman said she was unaware of any governmental agency with regulatory power over pet toys.”

This really doesn’t surprise me. However, even if this were their responsibility, they’d do about as much as they’re doing right now. Nada, zilch, zero! This is their specialty……

We also shared the labâ€™s findings with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A spokeswoman said the FDA does not regulate toys for pets, and she is not aware of any governmental agency with regulatory power over these products.

What about the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)?

â€œAlthough itâ€™s not in the fine print, the CPSC will regulate pet toys as they assume those toys would come in contact with children,â€ according to a spokeswoman for the American Pet Product Manufacturers Association (APPMA).

So once children or adults start getting sick or dying, the powers that be will take an interest in the safety issue. Just @#$ GREAT!!!

We are hearing about more and more troublesome products from Communist China. If everyone does not take a stand - that is stop buying them, then they are part of the problem. A few months of not selling these products will be a wake up call for the sellers. Make your voice heard about how you feel about imported products. Demand Made In The USA.

You have a right to safe products for your pets and for yourselves. All these problems are the tip of the iceberg of poisons! Even one voice will be heard if it is loud enough!

Anon,
I sometimes wonder why we pay tax dollars to support these organization when all they say is that. They aren’t helping us. Personally, I don’t want to pay the salaries of morons like Nancy Nord. Snide little witch with a capital B.

IMHO Nord should be fired . Another corporate person whose only objective is to protect the corporation. She is anpother example of the incompetency of the Bush administration! Also be aware many companies have changed their labels from saying made in China to saying distributed by.

Wal Marts stocks are a little down. Let’s make them a Lot down. And all things made in China go down. No money from Me.
Nord sounds like a nut case.
And i’m with Mrs.P, I’m so sick of paying taxes for all these people who don’t do anything, and We don’t need them or want them.

How long before Wal-mart sweeps this under the rug? About as long as it takes to pay someone enough to say it ain’t so.

I never buy anything from Wal-mart, and like Nell said, if we stop buying stuff from China the problem will solve itself. I understand that many people are on tight budgets and need to get stuff cheap, but maybe buying less and paying a bit more for nonChina stuff would be the answer. For all of those folks out there who can afford to pay more but don’t just to get something CHEAP, shame on you, you’ve run US business out of business.

That broad (Nord) is a real dipsy-doodle. Reading that makes me want to slap her face every time she said “You’ll have to ask the Chinese”. What a pompous ass…..then again, all the heads of these agencies appear to have graduated from the pompous ass academy!

After reading the article Mrs P references, one thing is crystal clear to me. No one is taking this seriouly. When one of the interview is able to leave a hearing with lawmakers and this is made fun of—they all should be fired.